Magnus 2: 'Possibilities and Alternatives'
by turbomagnus
Summary: :Valor: When a mistake sends Turbo and Athena into other worlds, they find out just how important their relationship really is...
1. Part One: Death

I don't own G.I. Joe, Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD, Captain America, X-Men Evolution or anything else that might be involved or mentioned in this story beyond my own original characters and situations. I have to dedicate this one to my fiancee, who has always been an inspiration and has been Athena's real-life counterpart since the character was created, even when we were not even friends. While it's not neccessary to have read the original "Magnus" story, it's advised to have a better understanding of some references and situations in this one.

* * *

"Magnus 2: 'Possibilities and Alternatives'"  
By J.T. Magnus, "Turbo"

* * *

Most of the time when someone is watching their kids play, they're not leaning against a quanoset hut when they do it. The kids are not as old as the parents. Nor do either parents or children have weapons or high-tech armor...

Of course, most families aren't part of Special Anti-Terrorist Task Unit Delta, affectionately (by our friends), disgustedly (by our enemies), and simply called by most 'G.I. Joe.'

I'm the father, depending on whether you're talking to a Joe, an Agent of SHIELD, members of the superhero community, or those who only know me as a civilian or regular military, I'm known as Turbo, Dragon, Johnny Freedom (Something that I still hit Steve upside the head for at times), or just plain old John Thomas Magnus, Major, United States Special Forces.

Of course, most of the troops under my command as G.I. Joe's Executive Officer don't know about me being their father... Actually, only those under my direct command in the sub-unit known as "Frontline" know that... It's hard to keep secrets in a close-knit small group that spent two years fighting, bleeding and dying together. When you've got fifteen soldiers who fight against hundreds, you have to KNOW what your teammates are gonna do, so it gets to the point where you can see changes in them before they do at times.

The differences in those two are funny at times...

Skywarp, that is, John Robert Magnus, named for the Kennedy brothers, is his mother's son... Sure, he looks like me, with her hair and eyes though, but he's got her "Calm before the storm" type personality. Like his sister he wears a suit of armor from his time, however, it looks like it's from the future like he is...

His sister, however, is a different story, in a way it seems like some lunatic sitting at a computer drinking soft drinks and listening to country music while imagining himself as a hero is behind it all, since she's the opposite of her brother, she's got my eyes and hair and her mother's looks, my "When I'm calm, you're dead" personality, and where her brother's armor is futuristic, her's looks like it was worn by an eigth century Japanese samurai... if the samurai was female. Saoirse (pronounced SEER-sha) Kathleen Magnus, codename Artemis... I almost pity whoever she ends up dating...

They've been here almost four years, but I've only really been married to their mother for two years. I never really paid any attention to this until recently.

The reason they're the same age as their mother and I is because they came back in time to fix time using a device known as a Dimensional Tuner...

Ask any of the Joes, I LOVE to mess around with stuff and learn by doing, I might be twenty-three years old, but I'm still a kid at heart, I guess...

Even things about twenty years beyond my own knowledge.

Yeah, I just HAD to go messing with the Dimensional Tuner, didn"t I?

Either way, I did...

The Dimensional Tuner, for those that don't know, is a device shaped like a ping-pong paddle with a spike sticking up from the flat part. Even after what I went through, I'm still not clear on the details, but appearantly it works like this: the Tuner causes the molecules in the bodies of anyone holding or touching it to vibrate at a different frequency so that they pass through whatever universe or time period they're in and into one where the molecules of native matter vibrate at the same frequency as the Tuner is.

It's also made out of a metal that either doesn't exist yet or that we haven't discovered yet.

I was taking it apart to try and get a sample for Airtight and the other scientists to analyse completely, something they couldn't do with it intact without damaging the Tuner. I wanted to know what it was and if we could duplicate it.

Thinking back, I think my big mistake was not putting out a sign or something to keep others out of the workshop. Normally what gets done in there is just fabrication for parts to repair our vehicles and weapons, occasionally a project of one of the Joes, but rarely any work on anything that's live -yeah, the Tuner was live, I mean, it was switched off, but there was still power in it, there was no way to eliminate that, it had a self-replenishing power source- so we don't really have to worry about keeping others out.

What happened next, I don't know, probably never will. It's like a car accident, you can remember what you did before impact, you can remember after the impact, but the impact itself and anything you were thinking when it happened are unrecallable. I know, I've been in a few wrecks myself, and not all of them have been Joe-issue vehicles...

Next thing I know, I'm waking up in the middle of the Pit's Parade Grounds with Beachhead, Law, Shockwave, and some guy I didn't recognize in green pants, a tan shirt, and black flak jacket with grey armor pads and black full-face helmet pointing guns at me and Sergeant Major Jessica Parker, known to all as "Athena", known to some as Jessica Magnus, my wife, and the Joe team's CSM, who had opened the door just before everything went to shit and was now still unconscious and laying beside me.

"Now I know how 'Warp and them felt..." I muttered, only half-conscious myself.

"Who the hell is Warp?" The voice I heard speak jolted me to full awakeness, because it was MY voice...

The fourth figure pulled off his helmet to reveal my own face, it was lacking the scar over my right eye that I had received from Devastator in one of our confrontations, the cheeks were a little thinner, but it was definately me.

And there was only one thing I could say, "...oooh, boy..."

And standing above me, my doppelganger looked down and commented, "No shit, Sam."

Beside me, a voice muttered, "Even when you're not you, you're still a smart-ass..."

Throughout this, Beachhead and the other two Joes had been looking on in confusion until Law finally broke their silence, "_Mi dios_, if it were anyone other than Turbo, I'd have a hard time believing it..."

* * *

"So... no brothers?"

"Nope."

"Father's not military, in fact he's a jackass?"

"Yep."

"Never a 'Frontline' team?"

"Never."

"No sweetheart?"

"From what you told me, girls named Erin Townsend are the same, no matter what reality you're in."

"And you're a Steel Brigade Commander, Staff Sergeant?"

"Not exactly. I guess our Brigade is different from your's. Technically, I'm not even regular military. Basically I'm a G.I. Joe Reservist, except the rules are a little bent in my case since I'm on the base most of the time. The only reason I even HAVE a rank is because of something Hawk and Beachhead pulled a while back."

"Doesn't that cause trouble?"

"Not really, I usually wind up pulling shifts of whatever to free up other Joes, not that I don't see combat, I'm the primary operator of the 'Arma-deuce', after all, but, well, Joes look after our own, what else is there to say?"

"Not a thing."

We sat in silence for a moment, neither of us knowing what to say.

"So who's the dame?"

"Huh?"

"The redhead."

I paused for a minute to gather my thoughts, I mean, how do you tell yourself, except he's a you that hasn't entirely gotten over his past, that you're married to a teammate's daughter who's also a teammate herself and directly under you in the Chain of Command to boot?

Lifeline's voice crackled over the other Turbo's Gauntlet, "Lifeline to Turbo, could you please come to the Infirmary? ...BOTH Turbos, now, or else."

I shook my head and looked over at my counterpart, "Doctors are all the same, aren't they?"

"You're a pain to check out too, then?"

"I'm the executive officer... There's only one Joe in my world that's a bigger one than me, and that's the Tomahawk."

"Lifeline to Turbo, now means NOW!"

We looked at each other when Lifeline's voice sounded again, speaking in unison, "How do doctors DO that?"

* * *

General Hawk had that look on his face that I'd seen Tomahawk get when he had no clue what was going on and knew it was probably better that way...

Mainframe, for that matter, was wondering what he was doing there.

"Turbo... or rather Major Turbo, you check out fine, you have several genetic traits different from our Staff Sergeant Turbo, but you said that they're normal for you, so that doesn't bother me... But do you know what I found when I ran tests on a blood sample from Athena?" Lifeline asked, one of those questions where they know the answer but they want you to make them say it.

I didn't make him say it, "You found, Lifeline, someone who has traces of mutated DNA similar to my own, but the important thing you found is the DNA passed on from Athena's parents... Sgt. Blaine Parker, codename: 'Mainframe'," and here I paused to glance over at Mainframe, the look in his eyes had me wondering about whether there was a Jessica Parker in this universe, "and the Dreadnok Zarana."

Mainframe looked at me for a minute, then looked at Athena, then back at me, "You were the one working on the Dimensional Tuner?"

Looking back, I should have know I was in trouble by how calm he was... but my brains were addled from the trip, so I guess I had an excuse for what I said.

I said, "Yeah..."

Mainframe stepped back and punched me, knocking me to the ground before storming out of the Infirmary...

In a voice barely above a whisper, General Hawk said, "His daughter's dead..."

The two sergeants and I looked at each other, then Sergeant Turbo replied to our unasked question, "Come with me, I'll fill you in..."

* * *

Cobra had never been defeated, so Zandar and Zarana had never abandoned the Dreadnoks. Zarana had never abandoned the Dreadnoks, so her and Mainframe's daughter went on living with Mainframe's parents.

G.I. Joe had never been disbanded, so Frontline had never been formed, so Daniel Maxwell went on as a civilian until Zanya came along...

And Zanya still seduced him to the Dreadnoks...

But here, he killed Jessica after he was done with her.

You know, it doesn't matter if you don't get along well, or in this case they're in a different reality, family is family and I'm from an OLD school when it comes to family...

Mess with me all you like, but go near my family and I'll come down on you like the hammer of God.

Interesting thing about being outnumbered more than thirty to one for six years, you learn how to both enjoy those odds and emerge victorious, and for what I was thinking, I needed me, myself, and Athena on one side, possibly Zarana and Mainframe, and on the other would be Zanya and Devastator...

The odds actually being in our favor for a change, if it wasn't personal, I'd almost feel sorry for them.

But I was too busy feeling pissed instead.

* * *

"Johnnie... In the four years that I've known you, you've come up with some absolutely screwy plots, but this goes beyond anything that you've come up with before," Athena commented, dressed in civilian clothes of the same kind as the night... the night... well, I'm pretty sure you can guess what I mean... or for this reality, the night her counterpart was killed.

"I don't know," Mainframe muttered, garbed like me and Sergeant Turbo in black pants and a black flak jacket, "The Sergeant's come up with some that would give this a run for its money, like the time he, Roadblock, and Gung-Ho went to Japan to challenge the Iron Chefs..."

I shook my head and looked at my enlisted self, "He's right, you have come up with crazier stunts than I have... Besides," I looked at each of them in turn, "Any of you know a better way to scare a couple of Dreads than for two of a guy that there should only be one and someone who's 'dead' to be kicking their asses?"

Sergeant Turbo blinked, "...You're psychotic."

"Thank you."

"So, let me get this straight... You called my mother, or rather, this reality's Zarana," Athena corrected herself, "and Zandar to tell them that you knew what had happened to me, the other me, and for them to bring Devastator and Zanya to a certain place near Phoenix - the same place that Devastator killed the other me - and you plan to have me act like I'm this Jessica and I didn't die to get them to admit that they plotted to..."

I rested a hand on her shoulder, "You don't have to say it."

"...and then what? Arrest them? ...You've got that look on your face again..."

'That look' is something that everyone tells me they see when I'm about to do something crazy, personally, I've never seen it in a mirror or anything and I HAVE looked for it, so I don't know...

"I was actually wanting to see how Zanya's beloved aunt and uncle would react to that information, what do you all think?"

Sergeant Turbo gave a look that I think might be what others are always talking about and smiled, "Let me get a cam-cube from Scoop."

* * *

The four of us were using an ancient technique known as 'Shut up and don't move'... ancient as in WWII, at the least, my great-uncle's the one who taught it to me, to remain hidden in the darkness. The outfits us three males wore made it easy, Athena, however, had to wear a cloak draped over her more visible outfit.

"So, why'd you bring us all the way out here, Auntie Z?"

Zanya.

I nodded for Athena to go ahead, she stood up, dropping the cloak, and stepped out of the woods. At the same time, Sergeant Turbo and I moved around quietly to flank them.

"Actually... cousin... that would be me."

"You! It can't be!"

It's almost scary how well you can predict people sometimes, I knew SOMEONE was going to say that, in fact, it was the cue for Sergeant Turbo and I to make our own move. Unlike Athena, we didn't say a word. Like her, however, we stepped out of the woods, boxing Zanya and Devastator in...

Dark beings with death on our faces stepping out of the shadows...

For the moment, Athena was ignoring Zanya. Shit may roll downhill, but in this case we were going with chop off the legs and the head will fall.

"What has it been, Daniel? Three years? How have you been living with yourself all this time? I need to know. How can you go on knowing that you raped and killed me? And now... now you're sleeping with my cousin..."

Now for Zanya...

"But of course, she IS the one that told you to do that, now isn't she? So it obviously doesn't bother her in the least."

Zarana was still in shock from the sight of her dead daughter standing there before her, but I could see Zandar's eyes narrow as he quietly slipped two of his knives out of their sheaths.

"Is this true?" He asked in a dangerous whisper.

"Look, I don't know what kind of trick this is," Devastator yelled, "but-"

"BUT! This is no trick, this is JUDGEMENT, Maxwell," I said in the booming voice that back in my own reality was normally associated with my shield-slinging, blue flak-vest with the big white target on it wearing alter ego of Johnny Freedom. It got the attention of the four people in the center of the overlook, "For the crimes of Rape and Murder. And for you, Zanya, the crimes of Conspiracy to Commit both Rape and Murder."

"Look, I don't know who you think you are-"

Sergeant Turbo did pretty good for his first time using that voice, "BE SILENT... or be silenced..."

Though I still wish I knew where I had heard that before...

Mainframe stepped out of the woods now, further disturbing the victims. Before we left, I HAD to get a copy of the cam-cube recording of this from Sergeant Turbo...

"They say," I began, "'His judgement cometh', but not what form it will take: Daniel Maxwell, Zanya, daughter of Zartan, this is yours, and your judges shall be those you have wronged the worst; a girl cut down before her time, parents who lost their only child, a young man denied the chance to ever love again," I pointed at Athena, Mainframe and Zarana, and Sergeant Turbo in turn. "THESE shall be your judges and jury."

My finger moved to Zandar, "And when it is reached, he will carry out the sentence..."

"Then what does that make you, Bastard?" Zanya snapped.

Technically, I am a bastard, but that's none of her business, "I may believe in God, but tonight my help comes from the Devil. After all, who better than the Great Accuser to help me... as your prosecuter."

Devastator looked around, "This is illegal, you can't do this!"

Athena leveled a look at him that I've seen make hardened drill sergeants flinch. I might not have gotten along with her well when the team had been fully reinstated, but there was one thing I did know, and that was that I wanted her as the Top Sergeant for a reason: She was pissed and she had a personal reason to kick Cobra and the Dreadnoks' asses all across the world, and I couldn't think of anything better to have in our highest ranking enlisted member.

The words she spoke were calm, and she takes after her father in that area, remember what happened to me when he said something calmly?

"And Rape, Murder, and Conspiracy are?"

I nodded, "Perhaps we CAN'T..." I slid one hand up the other forearm, pulling back my jacket sleeve and drawing a knife from the sheath under it, "Perhaps you'd rather we go straight to having you DISEMBOWELED...?" I lowered the blade and pointed it at him, giving an idea of where I'd start. Here's a hint, Gilbert and Sullivan once wrote a song called 'Let The Punishment Fit The Crime', "Now get over there," I motioned with my other hand to where Zanya was standing. As Devastator moved at knifepoint, I overheard the whisper of Zarana to Mainframe, asking what was going on and his response for her to just watch. With the two guilty parties surrounded, I looked around, meeting the eyes of each person in the clearing in turn, lingering on Athena's a second longer than the others, then I began my statement.

"Terrorism, which no one gathered here is a fool, we all know that the core Dreadnoks are little more than terrorists like the organization they work for, is a crime, yes, but it's minor compared to another crime that was committed on this very spot five years ago. Yes, rape, murder, even terrorism can all be considered small crimes when weighed against Betrayal. Even in the Dreadnoks, scum if I know any - and I know lawyers and politicians personally - have a code of which part is not betraying a fellow Dreadnok... But that obviously doesn't apply to blood relations, does it, Zanya?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"They never do, so sterotypical. What's the other half of the exchange? Oh, yes, 'Then let me refresh your memory.' Jessica was older than you by nine months, which meant that even though she was just Zarana's daughter while you were Zartan's, if she ever chose to join the Dreadnoks you'd suddenly lose your position as their future leader. The two of you were raised differently, so even though she had no intention of joining the Dreadnoks, you still wanted to make sure that no one could stand in your way."

I shifted to Devastator for my next blow, "All the training in the world means nothing if it goes against the person inside. In an otherworld I have seen you trained as one of my own, Daniel Maxwell. You were Sabre, a Frontliner, a member of the best team of G.I. Joes in small-unit operations, a fighter for the side of good..."

Mutters from almost everyone except the other three Joes rippled through the clearing.

"...But I've also see that inside you are nothing but evil to the core. An evil person can have all the training for good that exists, but they will always show what they really are eventually. That evil person needs very little convincing to do evil things."

I changed targets again, "What did it take, Zanya? Money? Power? A promise of a leadership position in the Dreadnoks? Your own body? What did it take to convince him to join you in this? "

"HAH! Very little, actually! I was the one who asked HER to let me help!"

"YOU DID!"

With Athena's enraged shout, several things happened in quick sucession, a knife found it's way into her hand, she threw it, I ran forward, taking the knife in my arm, then grabbed her wrist to keep her from throwing another one.

_"Truaill an inonga, piscín. Gheobhaidh sé a gan mhoill go leor"_ I said in Celtic Gaelic, 'Sheath the claws, kitten. He'll get his soon enough.'

Her response came in the same language, _"Cén fáth do rinn stadann tú me?"_ 'Why did you stop me?'

_"Muid ta nior as seo domhan. A bas riachtanas tar o duine éigin... ce is... go bi tráthúil,"_ I answered, 'We are not of this world. His death must come from someone... who is... to be appropriate.'

Then I heard a nearby comment, "His arm..."

I looked down and saw the knife still in my arm, "Oh." I took hold of the grip of the knife with the hand that wasn't holding Athena's wrist and pulled it out with a half-yell of discomfort. Just because I heal quickly doesn't mean things don't hurt. I handed the knife back to Athena with a joking, "I believe this is yours'" before I walked back to where Devastator stood.

Leaning close enough for him to hear my whisper, I commented, "That was your freebie. Next time you antagonize her, I won't be saving your pitiful life... I'll be helping her take it."

This was something I didn't know. I had always assumed that Zanya had seduced Devastator to her side, but the thought that he had intentions of this sort for Athe- No, at the time she was still just Jessica, the entire time... It made me mad, not even 'in a rage' mad, but 'in full control of my facilities and if I could just direct my anger through the air itself I could destroy something very big' mad.

I knew myself well enough to know that I wouldn't be able to keep myself under control if I didn't end this now, "I don't think I need to say more. The prosecution rests."

I could see in the eyes of everyone present, excluding the two surrounded, what was in my own eyes, that death was the verdict. And Zanya and Devastator might have been idiots, but they weren't suicidal, they tried to escape.

Mainframe, the Sergeant, and I all went for our guns, Zandar, Zarana, and Athena went for their knives...

And Zartan pulled the same trick the Sergeant and I had pulled earlier, stepping out of the shadows, pulled his own knife from the sheath on his chest, and let Devastator run right into it, impaling himself. Then as quickly as he had appeared, he pulled it out of Devastator and slashed his own daughter's throat.

Okay, so I was expecting Zandar to be the one to take their lives, I didn't even know Zartan was there, I'm good, but I'm not perfect.

"'Blood,'" Zartan whispered, "'Cries out for blood.'"

"Huh," Sergeant Turbo commented, "I never figured you to be one for the classics, Zartan."

"There's a lot of things you'd never realize, Turbo," He turned to go.

"Wait, no fight, no demands, no nothing?" Sergeant Turbo asked.

Zartan paused, "You want a demand? Ok... Brother, Sister, do not return to the Dreadnoks," He turned to Mainframe, "I won't stand between the two of you any longer," then he turned to Zandar, "And I know that you would choose to go with her, Brother."

He turned around and walked away.

* * *

"So, you're gone?"

I nodded at my counterpart, "Yeah, I just hope I can figure this thing out before we get killed."

"Aw, come on, Major, that's half the fun of the job; risking life and limb for no pay, just the chance to blow shit up."

We shared a chuckle, "I'm gonna have to remember that one when I get home."

He looked over to where Mainframe and Zarana were both hugging Athena goodbye, "It must be hard for them to lose their daughter a second time, especially after seeing how well she's turned out."

"Maybe not."

I don't think Pietro Maximoff, a mutant I met during a visit to the Xavier Institute who had super-speed, could have turned his head any faster, "What?"

I reached into my shirt, my military dog tags might have been hanging below my bandanna in plain view, despite regulations, but more important to me was what was on the second chain that hung out of sight. I pulled out a medallion with an American flag emblazoned on it and a small clear tube containing several strands of fire-red hair. Unfastening the chain, I slipped the tube off and handed it to the Sergeant before refastening and replacing the chain under my shirt.

"The teammates that know me well often joke that I'm a sentimental, romantic fool... they're right... I collect these from Athena's pillow every morning after she leaves to go back to her own quarters," I had already explained earlier how we slipped back and forth between each others' quarters while the other Joes were asleep so they wouldn't learn about our relationship. Since the rules are usually lax in G.I. Joe, I really doubted they'd care, but we didn't want to push it, "You said that Destro is on your Joes' side. He might be able to use this to recreate her... If luck and God are with you, it should bring your world's Jessica back to life."

He tried to hand the tube back to me, "These are your's, we can't-"

I closed his hand around the tube, stopping him, "There'll always be more strands on her pillow, J.T.," I referred to him by his real name instead of his codename to further reinforce my point, "The three of you don't have to use them, but you'll at least have the option open."

The Sergeant pulled his hand, "Three of us?"

I nodded and pointed to Mainframe and Zarana, "Her mother, her father," then my finger traveled around to poke him in the chest, right between the twin chest holsters, "And if you're really me, her lover."

The tube made its way into one of the pouches of his belt, "I don't know if I can be you, we're nothing alike except in name."

"If you're willing to give up that easily, you're right. It's one thing to be sad, cry, then let the fire back in your eyes to dry things up, but if all you're planning on doing is blubbering like a certain soldier I knew during the Sicily campaign, I'm gonna do the same thing to you as I did him..."

"What, slap me?"

"Damn right, and this time there's no doctors and nurses around to stop me from pulling out my sidearm..." After a moment, I shook my head, "Look, I'm sorry, I forgot that your Erin probably dumped you differently than mi- than the one I was involved with did me."

"How?"

I closed my eyes and recalled what, at that time, had been considered the worst moment of my life; before Devastator's betrayal, before the Reunion, before people that I had served with died and were wounded like they were shields for me and my damned X-Gene powered self, before I nearly lost Athena...

Before I learned what life as a member of G.I. Joe was REALLY like, in other words...

* * *

If you sat the R.A.M. II and a R.A.M. I together in a room, it might take you a few minutes, but you'd start to see how the low-riding black one evolved from the larger less-compact green one. The seating area hadn't changed in shape much, the exhaust pipes still flanked the rear wheel on both sides, but the R.A.M. II was smaller, more compact, with more modern technology used in it's creation...

And it was my 'command vehicle'.

One of the other similarities between the two versions was that the side-mounted gun could be removed.

That's how it was then, being driven by me in my black and grey "G.I. Joe" dress uniform, there was a lull in the hidden war against Cobra and I was planning to take advantage of it. It was less than a week before my birthday and I hadn't had more than a 48 Hour Pass in the year I had been in, so I was putting my position as CO to good use and finagled myself a fourteen day leave... and I planned to spend it with my girlfriend. Our relationship had been strained since the day I accepted General Colton's offer without consulting her, which, truthfully, I never thought I had to do; we were dating, not engaged or married, my life was still mine.

Not that I didn't want to share it with her someday, well, at the time I did, at least. At the time, I wanted to see her, to make up for being there a little over twelve days in as many months.

What I found was that I had left her to serve my country, but I was the one who had been left.

* * *

"To make a long story short, I dropped my high school ring with our names on it into her hand and left without saying anything," I sighed, "I changed. I had nothing to tie me to civilian life, so I threw myself into the military, in a matter of three months I undertook almost a year's worth of training; Marine Boot, Flight School, Field Medic, all of the things I had been working as without any training for a year. I even trained as a ninja under the Aleph of the Naitotsurukusa clan... of course, most of my teammates just know I trained as a ninja and commando, not how good I really am... I let the fighting, the anger at everything that was wrong in this world, with Cobra being a focal point, consume me... And I can't say I regreted it at the time, I loved it."

"There's more to the story that you haven't told me, now or before."

"You have a partner, Sarge?"

"I work alone, can't find anyone willing to put up with me all the time."

"Neither could I, but Athena and I were... assigned... together by General Tomahawk, which, I think, was just Jim Flagg's way of shovelling most of the running of the team off on the two of us... I can't say I blame him, he once told me that he'd rather be back in First Armored, but they gave him Joe because Lawerence Flagg was his father."

"Ah, love at first fight."

"Hell no, more fights to come at first fight. ...And I hate my great-uncle for being right..."

"About what?"

"We did wind up together. We were stuck as partners, we got used to each other, we wound up on a long-term mission that I THINK I had a little too much to drink and said something I probably shouldn't have."

"Insulted her?"

"I wish, I told her that I could almost love her if it wasn't for what we were: soldiers."

"Let me guess, judging by what I've seen in the past twenty-four hours I'm going to say she hit you."

"Got it in one. Then she kissed me for worrying about her, something that I don't usually do. I loved her that night, in more ways than one..."

"But..."

"But I didn't realize just how much I loved her until I found that I was willing to kill to protect her... Part of the mission went pear-shaped and we wound up surrounded by a squad of Iron Grenadiers. One of them shot her and I ended up killing them all..." I could tell by his eyes that the sergeant could see there was more to the story than I was telling... and he saw right. With Blaze boosting my power, or with an extreme emotional state doing it, my healing factor can extend beyond it's usual me and those close to me to people I have no connection with... I was angry, I was scared for Athena, and I wanted her safe... I somehow inverted my powers, I ended up draining the life from the Grenadiers... I don't like to remember it because it scares me still, and makes me wonder, 'what could happen if I lost control?'

I continued, "But you know what the best moment I experienced has been?"

"I'm sure you're gonna tell me."

"It was the night I met Erin again, looked into her eyes, and felt nothing but love... for Athena."

A pair of arms looped around my neck from behind, "Talking about me, _mo leannan_?"

"And if we were?" I teased.

"I'd have to beat on you until you told me what was said. According to the techs the Tuner's recharged and we can try to go home."

I took hold of Athena's wrists so she wouldn't fall, then swung her back and forth a couple times before letting go, "I'll be over in a minute."

She tossed an "Okay, but make it quick, Major," over her shoulder as she walked back to where Mainframe and Zarana were.

"Well," I turned back to the Sergeant, "Guess this is it."

"Yeah... Listen, I'll think about... you know," he tapped the pouch where the tube was, then reached into another and pulled out a minidisc, "Here."

I took the minidisc and looked at it, "What's this?"

"Plans for Project Mjolnir; you know, the Armadillo Two and it's control helmet. You might find a use for them at some point."

I flipped it over and took another look at it before slipping it into my vest pocket, "Thanks. So, I guess we'll probably never meet again."

The two of us were walking over to the others when he commented back, "With Magnus Luck? I wouldn't run a board on it."

Zarana looked at us, "'Magnus Luck'?"

Four voices sounded in unison, "Never works out the way you'd expect."

Sergeant Turbo looked at me and Athena, "You've said it yourselves."

"Yeah," I nodded, taking the Dimensional Tuner from the table it was laying on. I held out my hand and Athena took it.

"Well," I muttered, "Here's hoping..."

I flipped the switch...


	2. Part Two: Without

"...And may I introduce the newest member of our staff starting this semester, the new head of our music department, Doctor Erin Townsend."

Later, Doctor Henry Jones the Fifth, to those that didn't know the truth, and Doctor J. Thomas Magnus, both of the History department were walking down one of the many paths that crisscrossed over Empire State University.

"Something wrong, Jack?" Jones finally broke the silence that had been over the two collegues and friends since the faculty meeting.

"Indy, you were what? Forty-two when Casablanca came out?" The man who, in another world, would have been a Major in the United States Military answered.

"Yeah, it was only about... four years after the whole thing with the Holy Grail, why?"

"...Of all the universities in the whole country, she had to come teach at this one!" Jack paraphrased Rick from Casablanca before suddenly spinning and punching a tree hard enough to visibly shake it.

"I take it you know Dr. Townsend?" Indy asked with a half-grin. He had gotten used to his much younger friend's habit of overdoing things.

"Know her?" Jack scoffed, "No. It's worse than that, I used to date her."

"Hold on, Jack, when was this?"

Jack turned to lean back against the tree, crossed one arm over his chest and put the other to his head in thought, "Almost five... six years ago now, I was still a Frontliner when she left me."

"So," Indy leaned against a second tree, "What are you planning to do about it?"

"'Do'? Indy, you've known me for four years now, I plan to do what I've always done, have a stiff one and beat some bad guys to pulps, then thank Heaven that my students are as accepting of my excuses as I am of their's."

Yeah, Indy thought, that's what you do always do, "And when that fails like it always does?"

"You're gonna be a friend and drag me along with you next time you go off on one of your adventures if I don't get sent off on one of mine first," Jack answered.

"You won't be able to avoid her forever, you do realize."

"No," Jack shook his head, "But I can have our next encounter happen at a time and place of my own choosing, Henry."

Jack chuckled at the look of annoyance on Indy's face at the use of his first name.

"You know I like Indiana."

"I also know the DOG's name was Indiana."

A few minutes passed as the two professors enjoyed the silence that surrounded them during a 'planning' period.

"Jack, was here and now the place and time you were thinking of?"

"Why?" Jack asked, half asleep.

"Because she's headed this way," Indy nodded down the path at the subject of their conversation.

Jack's eyes popped open and locked on the form of one of the few people in his life that he truely wished never to see again. Combat-honed instincts, undulled, if not enhanced by teaching willing students about the past, ran through several possible scenarios and decided on the best course of action in a matter of seconds, leading him to straighten up and start walking into the small woods beside the path.

"See you, Jack," Indy shot over his shoulder.

"Only if you've suddenly developed thermal vision," Jack answered, running his hands through a quick pattern before disappearing.

Indy shook his head, "I've got to get him to teach me that invisiblity trick..."

* * *

It could have been so long later that there's not a name for that length of time, or so much sooner that there still wasn't, but we reappeared in another reality...

Right on top of me.

"You know," came my voice from the empty air under me and Athena, "All this does is prove that when I say people can drop in anytime, they take the drop part more literally than the anytime," the speaker faded into view, revealing my counterpart in a white t-shirt and blue jeans.

"If we ever make it home," I shook my head, "Not even Skywarp's gonna believe this..."

"As lovely as the lady is, and as fast as I heal, my spine would like to cordially request for the two of you to get off of it."

I rolled off my counterpart and came up to my feet, extending a hand to help Athena up.

"Don't mind me, I'm used to being a doormat," he commented when Athena accidently stepped on him.

"Johnnie, I think he's a worse smart-ass than you are."

"Blame it on four years of teaching college students."

"You're taking this pretty well," I told him.

"Compared to a lot of the other stuff I encounter on a regular basis, alternate reality versions of me are nothing new," he muttered as he rolled over onto his back, "Though usually they arrive in the morning, not the afternoon."

Let's see, an alternate version of himself shows up with his wife and lands on him and all he does is make a comment about showing up at the wrong time of day, if I ever needed any proof that he was me, that was it.

In the short time we had available, we exchanged stories. Unlike me, he actually preferred being called Jack. For him, Frontline had never been instated into the full Joe team, so the non-regular Joe Frontliners found themselves suddenly civilians again. In any case, Jack had taken Nick Fury up on an offer to be a full-time SHIELD Special Agent, which wound up with him as Johnny Freedom, Steve Rogers as Captain America, and John Walker as the USAgent working together as a team. The cover Jack wound up with was as a history professor at ESU, teaching alongside the famous, or is that infamous? legendary? Doctor Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr... or rather, his own cover of being his great-grandson... being nearly immortal does have downsides, it seems...

After that, we wound up sitting in on one of his history classes, and I'll say this, if half of my high school classes were as interesting as this one college class, I might not have just taken the GED and gotten it over with.

After the class filed in and he introduced us as observers, he began his lesson, "Today, class, we will be studying Eighth Century Japan, specifically, the clans of ninja, or Shinobi in Japanese, that reached their peak during this period. Many of you have already heard of the two largest clans, the Koga and the Iga, but at the same time there were a number of smaller clans, often more powerful but less well-known. Among these were the Hokage, who if you believed the legends possessed the ability to manipulate time itself and create a 'Flame', the Arishikage, who believed in adapting oneself to their surroundings for stealth, and the Naitotsurukusa, who believed the opposite of the Arishikage, believing in adapting one's surroundings to hide themselves..."

One of the male students did the mocking half-yawn that I remembered from my own school days, "C'mon, teach, this is boring..."

"He's right... These guys are long dead, what can they have to do with anything?"

Jack gave a smiling scoff, the kind I always give when I know more than I'm letting people know, "You'd be surprised, Miss Barnes. Any of you watch the news? Have you heard of Johnny Freedom?"

I could see smiles and relaxation go around the room, now the class was getting interested.

"Who hasn't, Professor? He's one of America's greatest heroes," The first guy answered.

"Did you know that he once went by the name 'Captain America'?" It was true of course, the first time I had worn anything like that it had been Cap's own outfit, the Red Skull had Frontline hostage, Cap was nowhere to be found, and if Captain America didn't show up, my men would be killed, so 'Captain America' showed up... just, not the original Captain America...

"Captain America? Wasn't he that guy from World War Two that you told us about?"

"Exactly, Mr. Jones. He had that name at first to honor the original 'Red, White, and Blue Avenger.' Johnny Freedom fights for freedom today the same way his predecessor did almost sixty years ago... longer than you've been alive, longer than some of your parents have been alive."

"Sixty years? Professor, haven't we changed any in that time? We had the Civil Rights Movement, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of the Soviet Union, isn't that changing things?" The young woman, Miss Barnes, asked.

"Unfortunately, no. We're fighting religious extremists and terrorists instead of Nazis and racism is directed towards Arab-Americans instead of African-Americans, but the battles are the same... Intolerance... Hatred... Fear... We call Johnny Freedom a superhero because of how and who he fights, but we sometimes forget that he's a hero in the first place because of why he fights. I'm going to tell you all a story and while I do I want you to think about this: The same Arab-Americans that get discriminated against, if the extremists and terrorists won, would most likely be killed as 'traitors' for siding with 'the Great White Satan.' While you are all thinking about that, let me recount a story I heard about one of Johnny Freedom's first missions, not long after 9-11..."

"Is it true?"

"Did it happen? I don't know, could it have happened? It could have, I'm sure... I personally like to think it did..." Jack leaned back in his chair, changing modes from teacher to storyteller, "There's someone for everyone, but Johnny's only love was his country. Fighting for her, he didn't have to prove he was a man. One day while he was away, the Al Queda decided to attack. They hit important symbols of his country with planes, three of them.

Johnny came back as fast as he could, to a country that was crying, the ruined buildings and shattered hearts were more than he could stand. He took out a picture of his idol, Captain America, and as his tears fell on the Captain's face, he heard these words in his soul:

'Walk away from trouble if you can. It won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek. I hope you're old enough to understand: You don't have to fight to make a stand.'

The first troop plane to Afganistan, Johnny was on it, and members of Al Queda just laughed at him as he walked into one of their strongholds alone. One of them got up and met him halfway 'cross the floor. When Johnny turned around they said, 'Hey look! Ol' red, white, and yellow's leavin'.' But you coulda heard a pin drop when Johnny took a table and blocked the door.

Two hundred years of freedom was bottled up inside him. And he wasn't holdin' nothin' back; he let 'em have it all. When Johnny left Afganistan, not an Al Queda was standin'. He said, 'This one's for Nine-Eleven,' as he watched the last one fall. And I've heard soldiers say he said,

'I promised you, Cap, and I walk away from trouble when I can. Now please don't think I'm weak, I didn't turn the other cheek, and Captain, I sure hope you understand: Sometimes you gotta fight for what you stand.'"

In the space of what seemed like only a few minutes, an hour and a half had passed, no one, not even me, had even realized it until the bell rang signalling a change of classes.

"Okay, since we didn't get to it today, Tomorrow; Eighth Century Japan,"After they had filed out moaning, he added to Athena and me, "That was my last class, guess now would be the best time to head over to SHIELD Headquarters and talk to Logan."

"Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah, I missed something here, why would we need to talk to Wolverine, and at SHIELD HQ no less?"

He looked slightly abashed, "I forgot, didn't I?"

"Forgot what?"

"Nick... died two years ago. Strucker sent an LMD of himself after Nick and even though it didn't succeed in killing him, he lost control of his hovercar... he sacrificed himself by manuvering into the East River instead of crashing into Battery Park. Logan had made his way up to the SHIELD command staff, and with Dum-Dum retiring when Nick died, Nick's Final Orders placed Logan as Director of SHIELD."

"Damn..." I whispered, Nick and I had always gotten along pretty well; both of us being jackasses and all, plus there was the Infinity Formula, so the thought of him dying was unsettling.

"No sense in that," Athena disagreed, "We'll be leaving as soon as the Dimensional Tuner is recharged."

There came a knock on the door and a voice that I hated hearing, I had grown up, but the person that voice belonged to never had, they were still in the 'If you want to be MY friend and use MY playhouse, you have to PAY me all of YOUR savings' stage after five years.

"J.T., are you in there?"

Jack tapped both Athena and me on the shoulder and pointed, "Out the window."

* * *

We didn't go to SHIELD Headquarters, but to another place with memories of Nick Fury. In my world, the apartment had belonged to Nick, but here Nick was dead and he'd left it to my counterpart. It's still THE unwritten rule that 'Once a Joe, Always a Joe' and that if a Joe or former Joe is in trouble, they can turn to any other Joe or former Joe and expect help, all that matters being the membership in one of the most exclusive clubs in the world...

Which was why my, or rather Jack's brother and a team of other heroes were piled in the apartment when we got there.

"Everyone this is myself and... what was your codename again, Sergeant?"

"'Athena,' Jessica Magnus. Yes, we're married, two years, I can stand him because he may be an idiot and a jerk at times but he's MY idiot and jerk, no, there's no chance of ignoring that and going on a date, Drake, any other questions?"

"Nope," the living block of ice that was sitting on the steps answered, "That about covers it."

I shook my head, "Don't worry, Jack, I know most of them..."

I began to point at each of them in turn, starting with the one in black with the red scarf draped over his shoulders, "John Henry Magnus, formerly known as Havoc, now called The Shadow after his teacher Lamont Cranston."

Then the woman in the yellow jumpsuit standing next to him, "Angelica Jones, 'Firestar', formerly of the X-Men."

Next the ice cube, "Robert 'Bobby' Drake, 'Iceman', also once of the X-Men."

The man in gold and red armor, "Anthony Stark, owner and CEO of Stark Industries, also his own bodyguard 'Iron Man'"

Then the one in jet black armor, "Terrance McGinnis, assistant to Bruce Wayne of Wayne Enterprises, instead of wearing tights and calling yourself 'Batman' like your boss in the 40's you wear a bat-stylized armor based on Iron Man's and go by Nightwing."

I moved on to the injured man in red and blue, "Peter Parker, the amazing Spider-Man."

The last one was a bit of a surprise to me, even though I knew this wasn't my world, the woman tending Spidey's wounds was not Indira Dimonji like I still expected it to be, "And Silver Sabalovia, the Silver Sable, assassin and mercenary known for only taking jobs against criminals and other scum."

Jack gave an impressed clapping, "Not bad, only missed two things with a slight mistake on a third, I'm impressed."

I snapped my fingers, "What'd I miss?"

Now I know why everyone always mutters that I'm insane when I start laughing, Jack gave me the twitches and I'M HIM.

"Third mistake, Sable was ...exonerated of her 'crimes.'"

I nodded, I'd seen, in fact, I'd been a part of that kind of procedure, "SHIELD Special Agent, now?"

Iceman chuckled, "Isn't everybody?"

I returned the chuckle, "Sometimes it seems like it. So, if that's my third mistake, what were my first two?"

"There's not a single woman in this room."

Athena reached a hand out to Firestar, "Their taste in women is probably the thing the Magnus boys have most in common here, too, isn't it?"

Firestar smiled and shook hands, "Redheaded..."

"Opinionated."

"Forceful."

"Take no crap."

Then the two of them finished what was, in mine and Athena's world, a running joke between Athena, our Firestar, and Talon, "And sexy as hell."

Smiling and shaking my head as the two in-a-way sisters-in-law hugged, I commented, "All the parallel universes in existance, and some things never change," I paused, then looked at Sable nursing Spidey's wounds, "Of course, for everything that doesn't, there's a LOT that does..."

Spidey shook his head and winced, "It's a long story..."

"Always are," I joked...

* * *

Here, as I WAS familar with, Peter and Mary Jane Watson never worked out...

Here, Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime, had arranged a break-in to the Helicarrier to capture John Hardeski, who was a willing prisoner of SHIELD instead of a SHIELD Special Agent like I knew.

Felicia Hardy, Hardeski's daughter, was turned into a female super-soldier called the Black Cat here, as well.

However, that's where things change.

Hardy didn't join SHIELD, she became a superhero, one of the few whose identities were public... A rare breed, others who tried that... it didn't work out. It didn't here, either. She started a relationship with Spidey as the Black Cat, but couldn't have one with Peter as Felicia because of the danger to people close to him, even though the two were married in secret - if the Black Cat hung around Spider-Man and Felicia Hardy was married to Peter Parker, it doesn't take more than a two-bit street hood to figure out that Spider-Man and Peter Parker are one in the same.

Poor choice of words. That's how it happened. Hardy went insane, insanely jealous, one day she and Indy, Indira Dimonji, 'had words'... in an alley and a two-bit street hood overheard and relayed the information to Adrian Toomes, The Vulture, who almost killed Peter's aunt May Parker. Spidey nearly killed him, but was stopped by his teammates, including Silver Sable, hours later he wound up talking to Sable to clear his head

Hardy, however, decided to kill the Vulture in his prison cell, thinking that would help her keep Peter.

While that was happening, Peter was trying to talk to Indy for advice, but he couldn't do it and left her apartment in time to be caught by the New Invaders who thought he had killed the Vulture

Long story short, Indy nearly died, Nightwing showed up late and ended up killing the Black Cat...

Spider-Man took time to mourn, and almost never worked alone again. It seemed at times that he didn't care what happened to him as long as he was lost in combat. There were quiet moments, as well...

...tender ones...

...in which he and the hard-shelled Symkarian exchanged more and more of their thoughts...

...their feelings...

...their affections...

Two troubled adventurers finding solace and comfort in each other.

* * *

I shook my head, trying to adjust to the differences from what I know, and unconsciously walked over to Jack's computer desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out the canned drink I knew without thinking about was in there and popped the top.

"Well, Jack, that proves he's you; no one else knows where you keep your beer, if he wasn't, he'd have gone to the fridge."

Shadow was right, of course, when I was younger it was soft drinks, but I've ALWAYS kept at least one drink stuck in the drawer of my computer desk, it's habit.

"Anything else I should know, like is Steve dating Sharon Carter for example?"

Jack was about to answer when there was a knock on the door and a voice, "Professor?"

I expected him to act like he wasn't home or tell us to hide, but what he did surprised me, "Come on in, Rikki."

The door opened and one of Jack's students walked in, I recognized her from earlier as Miss Barnes. She glanced around the room and shook her head before asking the New Invaders, "What did you all get into this time?"

Spidey groaned, "Rhino zigged, I zagged, and zoomed into the wall."

"You should be glad Doc Connors knows about Spider-Man, Peter, and that he, Doc Indy and Jack helped me cover for you, but the other Professors are starting to wonder."

Jack looked at me and chuckled, "Rikki Barnes' grandmother's brother's name was James Buchanan Barnes."

That made it click, "Bucky."

"Yeah, and so am I," Rikki said.

"Rikki is one of my teammates, as well as one of my students," Jack explained, "Along with Captain America, USAgent and Battlestar, the five of us form a government special missions unit called the Avengers... Rikki, this is me from another time stream and his wife."

She nodded, "Hey."

"So, what's the sit?"

"You know that new teacher in the music department, Dr. Townsend? ...Erin, I think, or something like that?"

Chuckles rippled throughout the room as both Jack and myself whirled around and slammed our fists into the wall, without even meaning to do it simoultaniously.

"Ok, I take it that means yes. She learned that I'm in your classes and asked about you, asked Doc Indy too."

Jack snarled and hit the wall with his other fist before fuming, "Who the hell does she think she is? If she thinks that she can cheat on me, betray me, and then I'll take her back, she don't know Jack Magnus! I don't care if it has been years, she can _go hifreann leat_!"

I smirked at him dropping into Celtic when he said she could go to hell, "Freedom..." I stepped over and put a hand on his shoulder, "I think this is an opportunity, say to make Sharon and Susan proud?" I grinned.

He looked up and matched mine with his own, "A 'Trap'?"

"Double the Turbo, double the trouble, if you get my meaning."

"'It would be naughty to...'"

"'It would be wrong...'"

We finished together, "'Let's do it!'"

We tapped fists, and Athena added her own, "I'm in. I still owe that bitch for her attitude when we met in our world."

"How does she...?"

"We're married, think about it."

Firestar looked at Athena and I before commenting, "Jack, if you ever meet a girl like that, the rest of us are taking a nice vacation; like a fishing trip to the Sahara desert..."

As I would find out at a much later date, those words would prove to be prophetic for them.

* * *

In military terms, it could be called a Double-Feint, making the opposition think that you're trying to make them think one thing when you've done something different when in fact you actually did do what you were supposed to do in the first place. As far as I was concerned, however, it was going to be the best lesson my professorial counterpart had ever taught; 'How do you like me now?'

Which was why Athena and I were already in position, a table at the back of Lamont's, a resturant owned and Head-Chefed by former Sergeant Lamont Morris, known to some as 'Heavy Duty', waiting for the target to be escorted in. Athena had to borrow something from Firestar's closet, leaving her in a pale yellow dress, while Jack and I had both gone for simpler black slacks and white polo shirts - the two of us had to match almost exactly for this to work...

I heard Athena laugh lightly, "The only way he could look any more disgusted would be if someone was disrespectful to the flag."

Had to be Jack and Townsend, but I couldn't resist responding to Athena's comment; I drummed out 'Danny Deever' on the table with my fingers. 'Danny Deever', for those who don't know, is what's played at executions, the bum-bum ba-da-ba-da-ba bum that the drummers do.

"Okay, but whose execution is it?" She asked.

"With any luck, hers. Now let's enjoy our meals, we've got about thirty until the switch-out." I commented, picking my fork back up.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, I stepped into the bathroom and locked the door as Jack turned visible again.

"You've got to teach me that trick."

"You'll learn it yourself anyway... ugh..." he shuddered, "She's become even worse..."

* * *

Earlier...

"I told you that you should have done this from the beginning instead of your foolish time wasting in the military."

It was all Jack Magnus, Major, patriot, and American could do not to go ballistic - and as someone who had flown the X-22 Storm Eagle, he knew ballistics well - with that remark.

"Doctor Townsend," he said, refusing to call her by name, "There was nothing foolish about or wasted serving my country. I would thank you NOT to insult it or the service around me."

"I can say whatever I damn well please about the USA. Just because I live here doesn't mean I have to think it's the greatest damn country in the entire world. Yeah, America has some things right. But it also has some things wrong. It's not perfect, and it's not 'unpatriotic' to point out and critizise its flaws."

* * *

"...If it wasn't for the fact that the switch was so close, I wouldn't have gone into 'Silent and Glaring mode', I would have given her a dressing down that any Sergeant would be proud of - in public."

"I probably would have let you, too. You ready?"

Jack sighed, "Give me a moment to steady myself. Let's review. I slip out invisible, you take my place, at the signal, Jessica comes over to ruin Townsend's day... What is the signal anyway?"

"The classic; one she'll know."

"Okay... Anyway, the signal is made, Jessica ruins Townsend's day, and," he made a gesture with his hands, "She's off my back, right?"

"That's a roge, Major."

He patted me on the shoulder twice, "Just remember one thing, Turbo: Yo, Joe."

* * *

It was all I could do to keep under control. I've NEVER been good with people running down the country that generations of my family have fought for, and I've gotten even worse about it since I joined those ranks myself...

I was learning that Jack had more restraint than me, because I didn't just want to put her in her place verbally, I wanted to physically stuff Townsend in a box and airmail her to Siberia or some place. Wordlessly, if a bit forcefully, I set my fork down and picked up one of Lamont's trademark William-Peter Shis-q-bobs, which any Joe knows is a fancy way of saying that Heavy Duty still cooks them with White Phosphorous grenades, and spun it around while taking bites off of the meat and vegetables.

Everything returned to balance when Jessica stepped up behind me and rested a hand on my shoulder, "Ready to go, Johnnie?"

"Excuse me? May I ask what you are doing with my date?"

"Date, that's funny," Athena slipped into the booth beside me, "Last time I checked, my husband DIDN'T date tramps on the side."

"Husband?"

I grinned and lifted my left hand so the braided ring of white lustrium could be clearly seen, "Guilty," I smirked.

Athena scooted over closer to me, holding up her own matching ring, "I'm sure you wanted for a long, long time to find a man like mine... But, you're too late. So before you go and make your move, maybe me and you should get a few things straight; there's two ways we can do this, and I'll let you decide, you can take it somewhere else or we can take it outside."

"I don't believe this."

"Oh, believe it," Athena smirked, "I was lucky, I got to live every woman's dream of her knight in shining armor riding in to save the day, you came close, but unlike you, I was smart enough to enjoy the feeling instead of complaining that my knight prefered fatigues to armor and a motorcycle to a horse. You think you're gonna ruin what I got, but you're not," she leaned forward and looked Townsend in the eyes, "Now, I'm a Christian, but if you keep it up... I'm gonna go to kickin' your pretty little butt. Is that clear enough?"

"Now just a minute! I don't know who you think you are, threatening me, but-"

I stood up and let all my lives stand with me... and when you've got a soldier, a hero, a husband, a father, a brother, and a friend standing together, that creates an impression...

"No, I don't know who you think YOU are, but I know I'm not stupid, DOCTOR. It's not a hidden fact that I teach at ESU, and the music program here isn't exactly one of the best in the country, so it's fairly obvious WHY you came here, so don't act so holier-than-thou because you committed a major clusterfuck: You're here because you've deluded yourself into thinking I'll take you back, well, fairy tale's over, WELCOME TO REAL LIFE. I'm a happily married man, I served my country proudly and was honorably discharged upon completion of my duties, I'm teaching young men and women that history is important to the future, and I'm not unhappy with any of it... It's 2007, Townsend, not 2002, and if I could change anything about the past... I never would have dated you in the first place."

If I could have, I would have gotten a picture of her expression when I finished my statement... It was indiscribable, and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed that I was getting to put her in her place again... or rather, I was enjoying her finding out that when she had pushed me away someone else had stepped up to stand by my side again. In it's own way, this time doing it for Jack was actually better than when it had happened for myself... Certainly Townsend was taking it a lot worse, which made it that much better for me.

Lamont's had gone silent, everyone looking our way, even the waiters had stopped what they were doing to watch.

I extended my hand to Jessica and she took it and stood up.

"You know, _mo leannan_," I said to her, said, not whispered. I didn't care if anyone heard at the moment, "For the first time in a long time, I've lost my appeitite... Let's get the hell out of here."

We slipped out of the booth and the whole restaruant - lacking one - burst into applause.

* * *

Two weeks later, Jack sat in another staff meeting, but he had a suspicion why this one was called...

"Ladies and gentlemen, as you know, Doctor Townsend's last day here is tomorrow, so I'd like everyone to give her a big farewell when she leaves..."


	3. Part Three: Hatred

When you're outside of time, you can think for years and seconds will pass, or years can pass while you take a moment's breath...

Damn, I hate time travel.

I'm glad to see my children turned out so well, but I hate time travel... and dimensional travel... and... well, you get the idea; I hate any form of travel beyond my control...

And I fully planned to kick Sabre's cybernetic ass into the next decade when I got home, because there were a few things that he implied that weren't true, like that he had the only Dimensional Tuner...

Though I liked the uniform I wore there, maybe one day I'll try it out myself...

I never really realized how important I was to keeping the Joe team alive... Sure, Hawk and G.I. Joe had joked on occasion about how I reminded them of themselves, then they'd usually add a comment about 'but they'd never been as deep into it as I was'...

And I never realized how important my soul was to keeping me able to keep the Team going strong... or how important Athena was to saving it.

I never realized a lot of things...

Thank God, I realize them now.

* * *

The two of us stood on a hill overlooking hell... I don't know any other way to discribe it, I could see people I knew getting slaughtered... And I don't mean undergoing the Sarge's training.

"What do we do...?" Athena whispered.

"Athena..." I sighed, "I think we use the old rule of thumb; If it wears a snake, shoot it."

With a glance at each other and a nod, we each drew our sidearms and slid down the hill into the fray. Firing at Cobra Troopers as we hit the ground, we came to our feet and stood back to back, not just because of military doctrine, but more because we were there with each other, we didn't have to worry about being a battlefield away if something happened.

A dark shadow covered us and I looked up over my shoulder to see perhaps the UGLIEST Venom Trooper ever, like a praying mantis and killer bee combined, preparing to divebomb us. I pulled away from Athena and began firing above her, the two of us pouring enough ammo into the target to kill a whole nest of Vipers. The V-Troop had to have been wearing some kind of bulletproof polycarbonate body armor, though, since our rounds just bounced off of it. I've heard courage discribed as a 'desire to live taking the form of a willingness to die'... I can't say courage had anything to do with it, but if we were going to die, I was going to do my damnedest to take that bastard with me, so I dropped one of my guns and pulled my Ka-Bar from it's sheath at the back of my belt and prepared to leap for it when it came close.

In the end, I didn't need to.

"ION CANNONS, AUTOMATIC FIRE!"

It was like before, my voice, but I never spoke... Balls of blue energy began slamming into the V-Troop from somewhere behind me. Almost in an instant, the tide turned, the V-Troop flew off and the other Cobras followed as quickly as they could.

"Waspinator never could take the heat."

I turned to look at my counterpart in this world, dressed in a plain olive-drab flak jacket, a black web-harness like I had seen in some of the pictures my father had shown me of the Original Fifteen, grey shinguards, and a pair of fatigue pants in jungle pattern with, what would seem odd for anyone but 'me', urban colors. All of this was dwarfed by a large man-portable weapon system backpack he was wearing, obviously the Ion Cannons he had used.

"Major 'Turbo' Magnus and Sergeant 'Athena' Parker, I presume?" He asked.

"Not... quite," I answered... The hostility at Athena's name confused me a bit, at least, until I remembered that at first we had all-but hated each other... Somehow, that little bit gave me a good idea what to expect here...

* * *

"You married her?"

"Yes."

"You... married her?"

"Yes."

"You married... her?"

I was beginning to wonder if I was always this obtuse or if it was just a good day, "Yes! _Si! Hai! Jawohl! Da!_ Yes, I love her, so I married her!"

"You love her?"

"Major, I swear to GOD, if you start that shit again, I'm taking you H.A.L.O. J.U.M. without a J.U.M.P..."

"No need, I think I get the idea..."

I wasn't too sure, "Oh?"

"Yeah... You're absolutely nuts. One of her is enough of a pain in the ass, now there's another and there's a me that for some reason is attracted to her... It's like I've stepped into one of the really WARPED episodes of Twilight Zone..."

I later learned that Athena... My Athena was having the same problem. Except for one thing, Turbo and I hadn't came to blows...

Yet, anyway.

* * *

"What about Daniel?"

"I don't want to talk about him."

"Why, what about him?"

"I said, I didn't want to talk about him."

"And I asked why!"

"BECAUSE THAT BASTARD HURT ME!"

And then, from what was pieced together later, was when the feces impacted with the rotory ocsillator...

In other words, the shit officially hit the fan.

"THAT 'BASTARD' IS MY BOYFRIEND!" The first Athena shouted before she lunged.

* * *

When we finally reached the center of the commotion, through the crowd of Joes looking on and, in some cases, making bets, both my counterpart and myself groaned.

"How do you stop your Athena when she's like this?"

I chuckled, "We still haven't figured out how to do that one... Usually we just point her in the direction of the nearest Cobras or Dreadnoks, turn her loose, and follow behind to record the body count."

"That's what I was afraid of... Think you can hold her back?"

"Can't promise anything... at least, not without distracting her, and the best way I can do that is-"

"STOP, I don't want to know," he shook his head, "Which one's which?"

"I can't tell, they're moving around too much..."

"Great... I'll take the one on the right, you take the one on the left."

"Right."

"No, LEFT!" One of the gathered Joes quipped.

"Can the comedy, Alpine," Nearly everyone said, in what was obviously an old joke here.

Turbo and I nodded at each other and we each grabbed the nearest Athena and pulled them apart... Unfortunately, we grabbed the wrong ones... Somehow, I should have expected that. Guess I'm getting old.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME, YOU ASSHOLE!"

"THAT 'ASSHOLE' IS MY HUSBAND!"

Magnus' Laws, The Law of Stunning; When you want to stun a whole room, drop a bombshell. And believe me, it can happen, and did. Everyone, from the other Turbo, to the other Athena, to every Joe in the room stopped in shock like someone had a remote control for life and hit the pause button.

Athena shook out of my grasp and took a step forward, staring at my Athena. She turned to look at me, then back to look at Turbo, then back to my Athena before shoving past everyone and walking away.

I cocked my head to the side and looked at my wife, "She took it well, didn't she?"

She just looked back at me, "Change-up."

I nodded and walked off in search of Athena. Well, not 'in search of', since there was only one place that would make sense. In both worlds, the so-called 'DoJoe' was the training hall for ninjas of both the Naitotsurukusa and Arashikage clans, martial artists and swordsmen who weren't ninja...

And in this case, a former cheerleader and gymnast.

Athena's fighting style had always interested me, similar to a style called 'Hip-Hop-Kido' that I had seen on a tv show when younger, it was a mix of dance, gymnastics, and martial arts.

Of course, I had been on the recieving end of it a few times and not always sparring sessions. Enough to know that there was one flaw in what the sergeant was doing... Athena had lost that flaw because when we were at each others' throats we held nothing back... well, until the other Joes succeeded in holding us back at least... But the sergeant was still having trouble recovering from an aerial split-kick. How had Athena fixed that...? Oh, yeah...

"Try going into a side-roll when you land."

She stopped and looked up with a glare, "What?"

"The Aerial Split, tucking and rolling to the side when you land will make it easier to recover."

"What do you know about it, Speedy?"

I winced at the old mocking nickname, I had loved Athena so long and so much that I had actually forgotten just how much we DIDN'T get along at first.

"I know that landing like that jars you and takes up time in a fight."

"You know nothing," was the rapid retort.

I watched for a few minutes, trying to figure out how to handle this situation, what the Tomahawk would do... what Hawk or G.I. Joe would do... even what Sabre would do... Then it hit me: Sabre.

"He does love and miss you."

She missed a kick and the punching bag she was targeting hit her on a backswing, "What?"

"G.I. Joe's own one-armed bandit. You might not like her choices, but you're acting pretty much the same way my Athena did when Sabre arrived - she tried to kill him... and I can't really say I blamed her, hell, I had second dibs."

I guess that like the thought of me and Athena not being in love had become completely foreign to me, the same had happened to this Athena with her and Sabre... Devastator... Daniel.

"...You see," I continued, "...I don't know how to put this... Daniel, the Daniel from our world, he hurt her... He hurt Frontline too, and me as well, because we called him one of us... and I called him my friend, and he betrayed us all, killed one of us... but he _hurt _her. He became Devastator, a Dreadnok, the enemy... and Zanya's lover... or maybe he already was, I don't know anymore, I've learned things recently that make me wonder how much of what I know is true. She joined the team because she wanted to 'bring him down' herself... though to be honest, I knew, at least suspected that 'bring him down' was the long way of saying kill... but like I said, I felt betrayed myself, not the same as her, not as deeply, but still betrayed, so I didn't care... hell, the only thing I wanted was to make him bleed myself, a wish I did get..."

"He asked me to join... wanted to protect me, be my white knight... Only said something about not wanting to lose me, never knew what he meant..."

"My Athena recently told someone that I was pretty much her 'knight in shining fatigues'."

I gave a slight smile and leaned against the wall.

"Then Sabre shows up out of the blue one day; literally, pretty much like we did here, and at the time he was still wearing that synthetic skin on his arm, he dropped that not long after he arrived, and we didn't know he wasn't Devastator, and to be honest we wanted to kill him, gut him, and... do other things to him, not neccesicerily in that order, either. It wasn't till his arm was sliced open and the cybernetics revealed that we believed him, you know?

It took us even longer to trust him, accept him. You need to understand; he was seeing his best friend and the girl he loved - loves, I was seeing someone who had betrayed my trust - my Athena someone who had betrayed her love, we couldn't just say 'oh, well, you're him, just not HIM, so we can trust you', you know? Eventually we did, even found that he gave us an insight on Devastator and how he worked that turned the tide more than a few times. But the feeling of mistrust never completely went away. Don't get me wrong, I trust Sabre with my life, but at the same time, I still remember that one Sabre turned on us, so I do watch him a bit closely... It's the same for Athena, she's always a little wary...

It was the commonalities, stubborness, command, a reason for it all to be personal, even a little bit of fear, yeah, that eventually brought us together... we had no control over it, it just happened.

What?"

I had noticed during my narrative that she was looking like she wanted to say something.

"Why did he never come back?"

"I've... never asked. I don't know... maybe it's because he's still fighting Cobra there... I think it's more than that, though... I think he knows that Devastator is somewhere inside him, so he wants to beat the Devastator of my world both to redeem himself that he, even a different him, could do what Devastator did, that he wants to beat Devastator to beat the darkness in himself that Devastator represents... I don't know, but I do know this: I have lost track of the number of times he's talked about 'his world' and 'his Jessica', Sergeant, you're all he ever thinks about."

For the first time since entering this world, I saw its Athena smile.

"That sounds more like the Daniel I love..."

* * *

"Isn't there such a thing as a Nonfraternization Policy where you come from?" Turbo asked.

My Athena laughed, "Yes, and rules on facial hair, uniforms, and a bunch of other things that both Hawk and Tomahawk have let slide over the years until G.I. Joe's gotten to the point it's almost a branch itself with its own rules... Besides, it technically doesn't apply in our case."

"Technically?"

"Don't ask me the... oh, what is it he calls it? The bedroll lawyer aspects of it. When we were sent on a long-term mission to Ireland, we were actually officially discharged. Unofficially we were still Joes and on assignment, but our files said we were no longer on the team. Because of that, when the mission ended and we were officially recommissioned... well, re-enlisted in my case, we fell under a loophole regarding being in the relationship prior to being on the team, so nothing could really be done... not that that many of the team even know..."

"Sounds like you could get in a lot of trouble."

"Hm," she tilted her head to the side and then nodded once, "Probably... If anyone cares. Flint and Lady Jaye are married, same for Scarlett and Clutch, my parents too... and there's enough father/son and brother teams in the unit that it'd be more surprising if anyone did care."

Turbo looked closer at her neck, "What's that?"

"What's... What?"

He reached his hand over and pulled on a cord that her movement had revealed, "What's this?"

She took it from his hand and pulled it out of her jumpsuit, revealing a metal heart with a gemstone in the center hanging from it.

"That's a topaz."

She laughed again, "Yes, and the stone on Johnnie's ring is an aquamarine. I wear his birthstone and he wears mine, so?"

Turbo shook his head in annoyance, "The more time the two of you are here, the more certain I'm that he's a complete and total DUMBASS!"

Before a retort could force its way out of my Athena's mouth, klaxons began to blare and warning lights flash.

"Turbo to Sparks, report!" Turbo shouted into his Gauntlet.

"We've got a wave of V-Troops, looks to be mainly Sand Scorpions and Coil Crushers, with Scorpion and Waspinator leading them," Came the response.

"Get the ground troops to the surface level. Scramble the J.U.M.P. Troops, contact the twins, Bazooka, Leatherneck and Dial-Tone and have them in the E-Frames and ready to be our heavy support if the J.U.M.P. Troops go down."

"Roger that, Major. Starduster, Grand Slam and Stalker, assemble your units and get them into the air..." Sparks' relaying of the battle plans trailed continued as Turbo turned to my Athena.

"What frequency does your team use?"

"One-hundred point seven."

"Get your boy-toy and tell him to set his Gauntlet to freak 98 point 9 to recieve our com-traffic if the two of you want in."

* * *

It was almost sad, I thought at the time. There wasn't the same team fluidity I was used to with this group of Joes. Not that they weren't watching each others' backs, but there was something missing, it might have been Sabre, I don't know. I just knew that even with two extra people, the odds were making me remember the day the Colonel took us to the Alamo and I stood at the brass strip that marked where Travis drew his line, I couldn't help but feel, then for the two-hundred and sixty-five there and now for these Joes, that they knew winning was unlikely, but were still determined to send as many of the enemy to pave the way before them as they could.

Greenshirts squads wearing J.U.M.P. Jetpacks were dive-bombing the V-Troops as best as they could, but between the different attacks of the V-Troops, both they and the ground troops were, well... losing ground. Even the Exoskeleton Frames, the E-Frames like the Defense Mech and Ground Assault E-Frame weren't turning the tide this time.

My Athena and I were covering The Ramp, the main entrance to the Pit, as best as we could. Not an easy task in the middle of a desert where Sand Scorpions could go underground and come up anywhere. Barricade, Tunnel Rat, and Widescope were providing support, but like the rest of the team, the five of us were being pushed back down The Ramp.

When a Sand Scorpion burst out in front of my Athena and she flipped it over her shoulder and down the Ramp, I noticed just what she flipped it into and turned to Tunnel Rat.

"Why aren't those E-Frames active?"

"Well, those three," he gestured to a large one, a regular one, and one that had no legs, "are captured Cobra units, damaged and incomplete. The only Joe unit still down there is the Urban Assault E-Frame."

"Why!" I shouted as I fired a clip empty into an oncoming Coil Crusher.

"It's a prototype Exo-Changer, no one's been able to handle it yet!"

"Bullshit! Athena, follow me and pick one!" I ran and skidded down the ramp with my Athena following, leaving the other three at the top.

Probably not the most unit-minded option, but if we didn't we'd lose, if we did and failed we'd lose, so we had one chance to shift things around and if they wouldn't take it, I would...

Knowing my Athena was following me made it easier. It always does.

When we reached the bottom, I hit the release to open the hatches for the Urban Assault unit while she climbed up a ladder into the larger unit. As I positioned myself in the E-Frame, the hatches around my legs and chest closed and the Cyberlink extended to press against the base of my skull, establishing a link between it's CPU and my own brain through the nerves on my skin.

"Urban Assault E-Frame, Turbo Cyberlinked."

"Amphibious Assault E-Frame, Athena Cyberlinked."

"A million ways to screw this up and only one to get it right..." I remarked.

"Odds are in our favor for once, huh?"

"Yep. All we need now is a little ammunition... and a lot of luck..."

"What?"

"Nothing, it just seems like I heard something like that once before. Ready to move out, beautiful?"

"I'm in a highly advanced battlesuit with heavy weaponry, what do you think?"

I chuckled and lifted off with the leg mounted thrusters guiding me up the ramp and into the desert above, "Last one to down a Venom Trooper buys dinner when we get home."

"Hope you haven't spent all this month's pay, Johnnie," came the reply over the E-Frame's communication systems as the Amphibious Assault E-Frame followed.

As I crossed through the opening and into the sunlight, I began to open up on the other side with the chain gun mounted on the E-Frame's left arm...

As someone once said, 'Rubber bullets. Honest.'

At the same time, I took precision shots with the double-barrelled energy cannon on the right arm to even the odds against heavily outnumbered Joes. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the Amphibious Assault E-Frame was firing on large concentrations of V-Troops.

I couldn't help it...

I activated the E-Frame's outside speakers and remarked to the Cobras, "Hear that boys? That's the sound of the tide turning, and not in your favor, either!"

That's when the second wave of Swamp Rats and Razor-Troopers appeared.

My counterpart's voice came over my Gauntlet, "You just HAD to open your mouth, didn't ya, Dumbass?"

"Oh, shut up," Athena's voice countered, "How the hell was he supposed to know?"

My Athena broke in, "Less talking, more shooting."

"You take the ugly one," Athena commented.

"No, you take the ugly one," Turbo, who she was appearantly talking to countered.

I just sighed, "They're ALL ugly ones, just take 'em!"

How long the battle continued for, I don't know. I was operating on instinct and training, same as everyone else, and time had no meaning.

Then a group of Swamp Rats managed to fire the acid spray from their wrists in a large enough amount to take out the Amphibious Assault E-Frame's thrusters, bring my Athena down in the middle of them. Before I could react, Scorpion's tail-mounted acid gun burned off part of the Urban Assault E-Frame's legs, barely missing my own... but taking my thrusters with them.

I was going down myself.

Then a thought appeared in my head; Transform.

Transform.

Transform!

"TRANSFORM!"

The last one I had shouted aloud and I felt the E-Frame respond; the remaining parts of the legs stiffened and part of the back swung down to lock a wheel into place. At the same time, the arms pulled themselves out of my grasp and bent backwards, also rotating to bring a second wheel into position.

Somehow, during all of this, I was turned over and facing a Heads-Up-Display and control sticks...

The Exo-Change Tunnel Rat had told me about had turned the Urban Assualt E-Frame into a motorcycle.

A motorcycle. Now that was something I knew how to use.

I hit the ground hard on my rear wheel and dug in before the front wheel hit and I was off. It was like no motorcycle I had ever ridden, civilian, Recon Sled, R.A.M. or other. The Cyberlink allowed a level of control beyond what I was used to. I didn't have to think... Actually, it was quite the opposite, that was all I had to do: Think. Think fire the chain gun, think fire the energy cannon, think left, think right...

Think MAXIMUM SPEED to go THROUGH the Venom Troopers!

That left two Coil Crushers and a Razor-Trooper between me and my Athena.

The Crushers cracked their knuckles and the Razor-Trooper extended his claws...

I drew more power into the engine from the fusion pack and spun the chain gun up...

Then I spun a one-eighty and zoomed off toward a nearby rock that was jutting up. Circling around behind it, I turned and put as much power as I could into the engine to use it for what I wanted to...

I wear two grenades on my vest, and they got dropped like bombs right among the three V-Troops as I jumped over them.

When I skidded and spun to a stop, I looked up in surprise...

"Heh, damn, I made it..."

"Nice, now mind getting me out of this damn thing?" My Athena complained from the nearly overturned Amphibious Assault E-Frame.

I cut away the part of the cockpit that had been bent on impact with the energy cannon as best as I could.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you ladies shouldn't swear?"

She climbed out of the E-Frame and fired her sidearm as a Swamp Rat that was coming up behind me.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you I ain't no lady?"

* * *

It took time, but eventually we won...

But the price was high; three Greenshirts killed, a dozen or more injured, Lifeline, Barricade, Groove and Repeater would all be off the active roster for some time, and there was no way of telling which of the dead or wounded Venom Troopers were Cobra volunteers or civilians forcibly Venomized...

We won the battle when Cobra retreated...

But none of us would be throwing a victory celebration anytime soon.

Besides, for two of us it was time to go.

"Listen... I know we didn't get off to a good start... and really, I can't see the attraction in your choice, myself... but I'd like for you to do me a favor."

"What's that?" My Athena asked her counterpart.

"Pass along a message to Daniel for me; tell him 'Soldier Boy'."

"I don't know what that means... but I'll tell him."

Turbo looked at me, "And tell I said to get his butt back here so I can kick it for leaving me with that," he pointed his thumb toward Athena.

"Oh, no," I groaned, taking my Athena's hand and letting my finger hover over the activation button of the Dimensional Tuner, "We're not sticking around for another round of this."

And we were off again, hoping this time we were going home...


End file.
